MARTY FRIEDMAN 'Would Definitely Ask' EDDIE VAN HALEN For A Guitar Lesson If He Could

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked which guitar player — Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen — he would choose to receive a guitar lesson from, if he could go back in time, and why. Marty responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I get guitar lessons from everybody. One of my favorite things to do is to ask people, 'Show me stuff.'

"I'm very, very fortunate that I've been able to play with so many great musicians — not only guitarists, but every instrument. I always, always am that annoying guy who says, 'Dude, show me that. Show me that thing you just played. What was that first phrase in that solo that you just played? How did you end it? Why did you do this?' I'm always getting lessons from everybody, and I've done that ever since I was a kid. I'd see a band in a bar even, and I'd ask the guitar player, 'How do you play that third song?' It's just a habit. You pick up so many things along the way — whenever you see something interesting, you just pick it up.

"So, to your question, I would definitely go to Eddie Van Halen," Friedman added. "And why, is because he's just a fantastic guitar player with a really, really good, juicy soulful way of playing, and rhythmic and flashy and melodic, and he always plays in tune, and just really nice. I really, really like Eddie Van Halen's playing a lot, so I would definitely ask him to show me a thing or two."

Marty's latest album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3", came out in April 2021 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan in October 2020, is the third in a series that began with "Tokyo Jukebox" in 2009, and then "Tokyo Jukebox 2" following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman's inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he's chosen to cover.

Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.

Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.